Method of and apparatus for pumping oil and other wells.



B.F.GARDNER. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PUMPING OIL AND OTHER WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1909.

Patented July 26, 1910.

Iltlllllllllll lllltlllllllllulll i Illltrlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I BENJ'AMIN- FULTON GARDNER, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

To all whom it may concern: J

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN FULTON GARDNER, a citizen of the UnitedStates,-

residing at Ohicago,in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvementsi'n Methods of and-A-pparatus for Pum ing Oil and other Wells, of which the ollowing is aerated by an electric heater,

itself, of a degree su cient degree to pressure which acts upon thepiston-head of a reciprocating pump, causing the lifting or upwardstroke, while the weight of the fluid above said pump, or upon thepiston-head, causes the downward stroke.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is an elevation I of mechanism embodying myapparatus and adapted to carry out. myimprovement in the art; Fig. 2, avertical, central section through said apparatus; Fig. 3, a horizontalsection taken on the correspondingly numbered line in the precedingfigure, and Fig. 4, a like section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2 andgivinga top-plan view of the heater.

Referring now to said drawings, A represents. the case or cylindercontaining the electric heater, piston and tubular plungerrod. i

A indicates the interior of'the case or cylinder-and A is a bracketattached to" t e inside'of said cylinder and which 0 ens the valve F onthe down stroke of piston F, to discharge a load of fluid therefrom, asa will presently appean,

A is a port in the cylinder, which is uni covered at the end of theupward stroke of the piston, allowing the steam or gas in said cylinderto escape into the well, an exhaust port infact. V I v l 1 B and B, 1and 2,'are conical caps inclosing both ends of cylinder A. K

cylinder.

whi h i g pump, and E is the ball of this valve.

is also of sufligenerate the steam or gas.

- and tubing.

' 1 G Figs. 2 and 4, and

METHOD orann Pianos roR PUMPING 011. AND OTHER wELLs.

p Specification of Letters Patent Patented July 26, 1910,

Application filed June 1, 1909. Serial No. 499,617 1 B? is a perforatedplate connected to the bottom of cap B, and B indicatesthe holes orperforations'in this plate.

From the top of cap B a pipe or tubing C conveys the fluid from said capto the surface of the ground. Insulating disks 0 are placed at variouspoints along this tubing to keep the same centered in the well an forthe purpose of electrically insulating it from the wall or casing ofsaid well.

D, in Figs. 1 and 2, is the working barrel of the pump, and D Fig. 2, isa stutfingboir through which the tubular plun er-rod E works. Thefunction of this stu g-box is to avoid flooding of the interior of the..E is the ball cage of the plunger of the .E: represents the cups onthe plunger and E is an opening or bore through the plunger throughwhich the lfluid passes as it is pumped. H in Fig. 2 is the ball cage ofthe standin'g valve indicated by H 1n same figure, H thepacking of saidvalve and H the ball thereof. a

- Reference letter I, Figs. 1 and'2, indicates a perforated pipe used asan intake and I indicates the holes or perforations in said A wirescreen J placed over the lntake. holes of the intake keeps out materialthat would obstruct the working of the valves.

r The structure rests upon a pointed anchor K which centers, seats andsupports the pump G indicates an electric heater composed of tubesframed into and supported by plates Gr is an insulating part between theupper plate and the case or cylinder, while the lower plate G is incontact with said mg purposes.

L, Fig. 2, is aninsulated electrical concylinder forgroundductor whichtransmits the current from tube C to the heater. L L, and L areinsulators in the piston F and perforated plate B which protect thisconductor.

The piston-head F is hollow and made to contain a predetermined quantityof flu1d which is admitted to the cup-like pistonhead through valve F atthe end of the upward stroke when the'valve is opened by looming incontact with the B and F is a similarva ve arranged to discharge thefluid from said head when it reaches thecend of the downward stroke, byimpinging upon bracket A and being opened thereby. The hollow or tubularplunger-rod E is connected at the upper end to, and continued throughthe iston F, and at the lower end to the p unger ithrough'the cage E sothat it may act as a lift pump.

i contact with H i L, Fig. 4,

indicates the heating tubes con- 'nected in multiple to conductor L. The

lower ends of these tubes are connected in multiple to the plate Grwhich is in electrical case or cylinder; A, grounding the returncircuit. Q 7

M, Fi s. 1 and 2, is a dynamo' or other source of electrical energy,located on the with fluid of the submerge the entire-pump'mechanism inthe fluid ofthe well, the fluid pressurewill cause "the fiuidto rise intheworking barrel, and

up through the hollow plunger-rod to the height of the fluid in thewell,which will ordinarily be at a point above the pistonhead. The iston onits upward stroke fills om the reservoir afforded by C and conical capThe gravity fluid, piston-head, plunger and valves causes the piston todescend and at the lower end of the stroke the fluid in the pistontubingheadfalls or is sprayed upon the hot tubes of the electric heater by theopening of the valve F Steam, or gas, in the case of oil, is generatedin suflicient force to cause the piston to ascend and, through theconnecting'rodE, convey the lifting force to the plunger in the workingbarrel. When the piston has reached the extremity of its upward strokethe exhaust port A in the case A' is opened and the gas or steam escapesinto the well, agitating the fluid and heating it, thereby dislodging'parafiin or other residue of petroleum from the rock and melting it,relieving creasing. the production.

An oil field for miles in either direction may be operated by a centralelectric plant through the employment of the apparatus and methodhereinabove described. Having thus described my invention, I do notlimit myself to the specific details of erforated plate the variousparts of ing the weight of the a y, the body thewell of obstruction andin construction set forth, considering that they may be widely variedwithout departing from the principle thereof, but

Whatl claim and desire to secure by Letters' Patentof the United Statesis:

1. An apparatus for pumping wells, a cas ing having a working barrel, ahollow plungerrod arranged within the casing and extending into theworking barrel and carrying a valved piston, a hollow plunger on saidrod and receiving a portion of the pumped fluid, means for dischargingthe fluid from the plunger, the casing for vaporizing the dischargefluid thereby generating a motive fluid for driving the piston upwardly.

and. means within 2. An apparatus for pumping wells, a casing having aworking barrel, a hollow plunger rod arranged within the casing andextendinginto the working barrel and carrying a valved piston, a hollowplunger on said rod and receiving a. portion of the pumped fluid, meansfor dischargin the plunger, and means within the casing for vaporizingthe discharge fluid thereby generatinga motive fluid for. driving thepiston upwardly, and said casing provided with means for exhausting themotivc'fluid when the plunger reaches the limit of its upstroke. j Q 3.An apparatus for pumping wells comprising a pumpingpiston, means forutilizfor operating the pumping piston downmeans for vaporizing aportion of of fluid utilized to move the piston downwardly to generateamotive fluid whereby the pistonis moved in the opposite direction.

4. An apparatus for pumping'wells comprising a pumping piston, means forutilizing the weight of the fluid within the well for operating thepumping piston downwardly, means for vaporizing a predeter-' minedamountoffluid to generate a motive fluidwhereby the piston is 'moved'upwardly,and means for exhausting the motive fluid when the piston is at th limitof its upward stroke.

5. An ap aratus' for piston-cylin er submerge carried to the limit ofdescent therein y (pumping wells, a therein, a' iston the fluid withinthe well the fluid from 7 i weight of the fluid in the well, a heaterarranged beneath said piston and capable of rapidly vaporizing fluid fedthereto togen: erate steam or gas pressure,means supplypiston cylindersubmerged therein, a piston working in said cylinder and carried to thelimit of its descending stroke'by suitable ing a measured quantityof-"the'fluid conmeans, an electric heater located in the botthereby andgenerate steam or gas pressure tom of the cylinder, a source ofelectrical to move sald piston upwardly, and a pump energy located onthe surface and supplying operated by said plston.

current to said heater means supplying a, BENJAMIN FULTON GARDNER. 5measured quantity of the fluid contents of Witnesses:

the well to said heater at the termination of WM. BARRE'I'I FITZGERALD,

the downstroke of the piston to be vaporized M. W ALZEN. I r

